Friday, November 14, 2008

Spoonman

I love it when form and function intersect, creating a thing of beauty that also serves a purpose. Jonathan's Spoons are truly utilitarian pieces of art. For almost thirty years, Jonathan has been carving wooden spoons from wood. He has refined his designs over the years, coming up with serving pieces and kitchen tools that are as beautiful as they are functional. The ten-person Jonathan's Spoons workshop in Kempton, Pennsylvania uses locally available cherrywood, noted for its fine grain, warm color and durability.

Kathleen introduced all of us to Jonathan's Spoons and we were thrilled to try them out in person. I received a Kitten Tail Spoon and a Honey Stick. From the moment I unwrapped them, I could tell they were quality items. The wood is light but strong and the shape of the handle is so graceful it begs to be held! I am smitten with the Kitten Tail Spoon, especially, because I love stripes and cats and tiny things…

The stripes are flame blackened on each piece and almost seem like they occur naturally in the wood. I would love to have a full set of tableware made like this because they are so lovely to hold! The whole Cat Tail Collection is just magnificent. I would love to get the Cat Tail Salad Set one of these days.

The Honey Stick is also lovely, with tiny holes like the cells of a beehive meant to trap and transport your honey. My husband is an artist and loves to carve wood. Generally he is a total snob about craft vs. fine art but even he was impressed by the craftsmanship of Jonathan's Spoons. He spent quite some time staring at the honey dipper, contemplating how the holes were achieved… And Roo and Jasper assumed these were meant for them because of their small stature. But no, they are all mine! I snatched them out of my kids' hands, I must admit. The Honey Stick is ingenious, a mess-free way of serving honey at the table, sans honey bear!

These ARE works of art, aren't they? I will not be satisfied until I have it all! I got the jam spreader and honey dipper and now I just have to have the large serving spoon. Wouldn't a ladle be nice for a big steamy pot of clam chowder? Or cream of crab?We are all devotees of Jonathan's Spoons.

I use a whisk almost daily in my cooking, since I cook 3+ meals a day in our home. I would love to try the Wooden Whisk. It does not look like any whisk I have used before, I am so curious if it works. Thank you.

Lazy spoon (and the regular cooking spoons.) I have a ton of wooden spoons, I find them good for everything, but I love my fancier ones. Since I use them all the time, I like having nice ones.. and use those more often. I don't know how many spoons I've burnt by leaving them in pots unattended... :/

I think I would have to choose theCAT TAIL® SALAD SERVEROne of Jonathan's™ signature pieces.we serve salad at every dinner meal and I would love to have really nice utensils.Thank you this is fun!http://susan-myjourney.blogspot.com/

I so love this fabulous give~away!!! We are truly JONATHAN'S WILD CHERRY SPOONS addicts and have been for over 17 years! : ))) My favorites of all favorites are the CAT TAIL® WIGGLE SPOON and the SPIRAL SPOON® FOR SERVING!! : ))) Deliciously, brilliantly, beautiful! Makes cooking an aesthetic adventure!

The Cat tail spatula and the mixing paddle are lovely... It's so hard to find good wooden kitchen Spoons anymore... I grew up with them and when I bought some for myself yuck yuck yuck thin and yuck.. Jonathan's actually look very nice... Christmas list here I come.... wiicked13 [at] yahoo [dot] com